Home to the Western Wall, Judaism’s most sacred site, as well as synagogues, religious schools, and a Byzantine-era stretch of the ancient Cardo thoroughfare, the Jerusalem Jewish Quarter is one of the Old City’s traditional four quarters. Rabbis, scholars, and ritually clad Orthodox Jewish believers still stroll its ancient streets.
The bright and breezy Baku Boulevard (Denizkenari Milli Park) boasts a wide swath of sidewalks lined with trees, shops, and al fresco cafés. It extends 3 miles (5 kilometers) along the seafront from National Flag Square beyond Freedom Square. Highlights of the boulevard include the 197-foot (60-meter) Baku Ferris Wheel and the Park Bulvar shopping mall.
While Lake Mburo might be Uganda’s smallest national park—it covers about 31 miles (50 kilometers)—it’s also the closest safari reserve to Kampala and Entebbe. That makes it an excellent day trip option for travelers seeking an escape from the big city. The protected area is a haven for birdwatching and is home to dozens of enticing mammal species, including zebras, hippos, giraffes, and leopards.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Masada, an ancient fortress built by King Herod the Great, dates back to 37 BC. It’s location on a cliff overlooking the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea is a spectacular spot from which to watch the sunrise.
Along with the neighboring parks of Mgahinga and Virunga, Volcanoes National Park is one of the last strongholds of wild mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Tropical flora, bamboo forest, and five individual volcanoes cover the park’s more than 60 square miles (160 square kilometers), which visitors explore on regulated wildlife tours.
According to the Christian faith, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before his arrest. Today, the Church of All Nations guards this sacred site at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Franciscan friars stroll past gnarled olive trees alongside pilgrims from around the world.
Flames flicker as they emerge from the rugged earth at Yanar Dag inside this historical, cultural, and natural reserve north of Baku. Nicknamed the Burning Mountain for obvious reasons, fires fueled by leaking gas pockets remain burning around the clock and have deep cultural ties to the region and the Zoroastrian religion.
Rising high above Cape Town, Table Mountain is a symbol of the city and arguably its most famous natural landmark. From the flat-topped summit—reached by cable car—visitors can enjoy spectacular views of the city and ocean. On clear days, you can see Robben Island, Camps Bay, and the Atlantic Seaboard. Hiking fans also love this area, as well as adrenaline seekers who come for rappelling.
One of Accra’s most important monuments (and prettiest green spaces), the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park pays tribute to Ghana’s first president, who led the country to its independence in 1957. The newly modernized memorial now houses an expanded museum, a mausoleum, and other commemorative attractions.
Ancient history sits high above downtown streets at the Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qalaa), a compact hill topped with Roman ruins, a palace, and the National Archeological Museum. Whether you’re exploring the sites or just enjoying panoramic views across Amman, the Citadel is an essential stop.
The highest peak in the Al-Hajar mountain range and in all of Oman, Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun) towers above the northern town of Al Hamra. Rising to about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), Jebel Shams is a sharp contrast to the cool coastal towns along the Gulf of Oman.
Come face-to-face with 65,000 marine creatures, dive with sharks, and walk underwater at the Lost World Aquarium in Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm hotel. This state-of-the-art aquarium is themed around the mythical Lost City of Atlantis and consists of illuminated underground chambers brimming with sea life from across the world.
The relatively recently built Bibi-Heybat Mosque in Baku is an excellent recreation of the 13th-century Shirvansha Farrukhzad II lbh Ahsitan II, also called “the mosque of Fatima.” After it was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936, the site remained in ruins until it was rebuilt in 1994. It’s the Muslim spiritual center in Azerbaijan and a popular tourist attraction, with its three domes, two minarets, and colorful tiles.
One of Ethiopia's most important museums, the National Museum of Ethiopia is best known for housing the partial remains of Lucy, an Australopithecus ancestor of homo sapiens, believed to have lived around 3.2 million years ago. A cast of the delicate bones, and not the original, is on display.
Towering, headless statues stand watch over the Ramesseum, part of Ramses II’s funerary complex. An awe-inspiring hypostyle hall is surrounded by courts, storage rooms, and a sanctuary, as well as unusual mud-brick structures. It’s not only magnificent, but also less visited than other West Bank sites—great for experiencing Luxor without the crowds.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lebanon’s Baalbek ruins are some of the best-preserved Greco-Roman structures in all the Middle East. The site was once a thriving Phoenician city known as Heliopolis (“Sun City”), and today, the Temple of Bacchus, Temple of Venus, and Temple of Jupiter offer visions of past glories.
Also written Souq al Had, Souk el Had is Agadir’s main market, a cavernous warehouse of around 6,000 stalls selling everything from spices, fruit, and vegetables through to clothes, perfume, carpets, pottery, shisha pipes, and electronics. Tailors around the market can alter garments or make them to your specifications.
The Seven Coloured Earth Geopark is known for its multicolored sand dunes formed by unique volcanic terrain. Fans of fun photo ops come for snaps of the striped spectacle, while geologists are drawn to the science behind the separating soils. Chamarel Waterfall, the tallest single-drop cascade on Mauritius, is another highlight of the park.
Located in Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Center challenges traditional concepts of architecture with swooping shapes and a distinct lack of right angles. The structure—which takes it name from the man who governed Azerbaijan for almost 20 years—was designed by the prestigious architect Zaha Hadid and hosts cultural events such as exhibitions and concerts.
In the southwest reaches of Mauritius, Chamarel Waterfall is the nation’s highest single-drop waterfall. Its thundering waters plunge 300 feet (100 meters)—almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty—into crystal clear pools surrounded by lush vegetation. A trip to this scenic spot proves to be one of the best photo opportunities in the country.
Perhaps nowhere is South Africa’s transition to democracy more apparent than on Constitution Hill. For over a hundred years, buildings here functioned as a feared prison complex, holding everyone from common criminals to activists Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, and even Winston Churchill (briefly during the Boer War. Since 2004, the site has been home to South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
On the edge of the Sahara Desert in Ouarzazate, Atlas Film Studios is not only the center of Morocco’s film industry, but the largest film studio in the world. Founded in the early 1980s, the studios boast an impressive pedigree, having hosted iconic film sets such asGladiator andStar Wars, as well as scenes fromGame of Thrones.
Founded in the 11th century, mellow little Meknes is the most intimate of Morocco’s imperial cities. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its regal remnants pay tribute to Moulay Ismail, sultan from 1672 to 1727, with gorgeous tilework, elegant madrasas, a splendid mausoleum, and perhaps Morocco’s most spectacular gate—the Bab Mansour.
Habous Quarter in southeastern Casablanca is one of the city’s most atmospheric districts. French colonizers in the 1920s created the area and small tree-lined squares, neat alleyways, elegant arcades, and a curious mix of French colonial buildings and traditional Maghrebi architecture still remain. Throughout, small souks sell handicrafts and leather goods.
Opposite the 14th-century Sultan Hassan Mosque, the Al-Rifai Mosque (Masjid Al-Rifa'i) is similarly grand. The mosque, built between 1869 and 1912, has a towering minaret and four decorated facades capped with an ornate dome. One of Cairo’s largest mosques, it houses the tombs of many members of the Egyptian royal family, including King Farouk.
Named for the thundering falls at its heart, Victoria Falls National Park is a lush rainforest that surrounds the Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls. The park offers arguably the best views of the falls, providing more than a dozen overlooks for admiring the 5,604-foot (1,708-meter)-wide wall of water—known as the largest sheet of falling water in the world.
Fly over Dubai or get an aerial view from one of its many skyscrapers, and you’ll notice something unusual about the shoreline: Hundreds of small manmade islands have been created along the coastline, fashioned into elaborate shapes that can only be admired from above. The palm tree-shaped Palm Jumeirah is most famous, followed by the larger but less developed Palm Jebel Ali and the World Islands, shaped like a map of the world.
Set among the rocky hills and bushland outside Johannesburg, Aha Lesedi, an African lodge and cultural village is made up of traditional homesteads and provides an opportunity to meet people from Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Ndebele, and Basotho origins. Lesedi reflects the diversity of South Africa’s original inhabitants with elements from many tribal cultures.
Perched around 6,000 feet (1,800 meters above sea level among the rugged peaks of the High Atlas, overlooking Lake Takerkoust’s azure waters, the Kik Plateau (Plateau du Kik is the Morocco that time forgot. Tiny donkeys still plow the fields, while Berber villages offer warm hospitality amid gnarled olive trees.
Located where the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea, Yardenit (Jordan River Baptismal Site) is one of the world’s most important places of Christian pilgrimage. It's believed to be where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ.
